AC Milan working on Jean-Philippe Mateta deal as striker left out of Crystal Palace squad | OneFootball

AC Milan are working on a deal to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta before the window closes on Monday. Oliver Glasner has left the 28-year-old out of Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest, citing that the forward is not in the right place to play.

According to The Athletic, Forest have lodged a £35 million offer for Mateta. Glasner said the decision to omit him is unrelated to transfers.

Mateta has been unsettled for some time, with contract talks dating back before summer 2024 and now into the final 18 months, with little progress. He has long harboured Champions League ambitions. Milan are second in Serie A, five points behind Inter.

He has scored once in his last 12 games in all competitions, yet he remains Palace’s leading scorer this season with eight.

Glasner said there is no definitive decision on Mateta’s future, adding that he could stay or leave and that the club are discussing both scenarios. He said he must protect the team and the player, and that if Mateta stays he needs to improve and score to pursue his France World Cup dream.

Milan are exploring options to reinforce their attack for the run-in, with Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao having missed spells through injury and Santiago Gimenez absent following ankle surgery in October. Any agreement depends on fee, timing and possible Milan departures, while Palace would seek a replacement and have held talks over Aston Villa’s Evann Guessand.

Source: NY Times